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Sumit SinghalSumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination.

Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku, Azerbaijan by RSA Design Group

The existing airport in Baku currently serves both international and domestic flights. The local airport authority is currently in the process of building a new international terminal building. RSA Design Group was asked to submit a proposal for the renovation of the existing building. The renovated structure would be repurposed as a domestic terminal, with all international flights passing through the new terminal building.

As this is a working airport building there were several challenges that needed to be worked around. Chief among these was that the existing flight control tower needed to stay in use at all times and needed to be incorporated into the new design. The primary structural system, laid out on an equilateral triangular grid, also needed to be incorporated into the design to the greatest possible extent. In response, this option drapes the structure with a new roof and façade system that closely follows the form and structural grid of the existing building.

Baku Airport

The intersections of the new faceted roof system directly align with the column lines of the building. The new shell like form replaces the existing red standing seam roof and applied shading elements. This proposal connects the five existing pods, creating smoother transitions between the terminals and concourse areas, incorporating the existing overhangs and canopies, and unites the composition into a continuous roof form.